EA Sports sticking with Tiger Woods

By Tom Bramwell Published 5 January, 2010

Online game hits open beta this month.

EA Sports has said it will stick with Tiger Woods as its golf series front man despite the three-time grand slam winner's "mistakes off the course".

Writing on his blog, EA Sports president Peter Moore said the company had chosen to work with Woods in 1997 for purely sporting reasons, not so he could "act as an arm's length endorser".

"By his own admission, he's made some mistakes off the course. But regardless of what's happening in his personal life, and regardless of his decision to take a personal leave from the sport, Tiger Woods is still one of the greatest athletes in history," Moore wrote.

What's more, EA's latest golf game to bear the Woods name, the browser-based Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online, will go into open beta "later this month".

"At EA Sports, we make authentic sports simulations. When we say, 'It's in the Game', it is not just a tag line but a statement about the quality and authenticity of the game experience," Moore continued.

"Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online is truly representative of that rallying cry, and a game that all of us at EA Sports are proud to be delivering this month to sports fans around the globe."

Woods has been in a spot of public relations bother ever since reports broke last year about his extramarital dalliances, after which he announced he was taking an indefinite break from pro golf.

Several of his sponsors and companies whose products he endorsed, including Accenture and AT&T, have subsequently ended their relationships with him.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (18) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • HermitArcader #1 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 09:17:39 22-12-2011

  • JahB #2 2 years ago

    not like EA is backing a sporting celebrity who went to prison for rape...oh wait.

    never heard that before, who would that be?

  • HermitArcader #3 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 09:17:39 22-12-2011

  • el_pollo_diablo #4 2 years ago

    I wonder if you'll be able to drive your balls into trees?

  • schnide #5 2 years ago

    I'm sure there's also an element of "..we can still make a shitload of money out of Woods" but on the whole I think I'd pretty much agree with Moore's point of view.

  • gamingdave #6 2 years ago

    I couldn't care less whos name they put to it. Have been playing the beta last year and its a quality game of golf. Really looking forward tot he proper launch.

  • the_dudefather #7 2 years ago

    They should rebrand it as 'Lee Carvallo's Putting Challenge'?

  • belziah #8 2 years ago

    @VerticalStand

    His first wife was a gold digging skeezer/actress. The rape case was not an open and shut case(though he should have gone to jail for pure stupidity).

    Let me know when you plan on repeating the rest to his face........I'll bring the bucket. x)

  • HermitArcader #9 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 09:17:39 22-12-2011

  • feistycheese #10 2 years ago

    Early rumours suggest content including a mini-game where you have to drive madly around Firestone Country Club in a golf buggy avoiding fire hydrants and trees, all the while chased by a giant blonde haired banshee wielding a hefty 3 wood.

    Anyway, I wont be buying this game anymore. I mean its disgusting what Tiger Woods did, and he should rightly feel dirty and ashamed . . . . I mean who in their right mind would put there name to a piece of garbage game that is identical year after year . . . ;).

  • JahB #11 2 years ago

    @Vertical Stand

    not being sarcastic at all, I just didn't realize you were referring to Tyson (no coffee yet).

  • Ryze #12 2 years ago

    Right - I'll be looking for the hidden sex minigame!

  • justsomeone #13 2 years ago

    luckily for woods he has interests spanning multiple social groups. while the blue-collar mob who buy his watches/insurance/blended scotch/burberry stuff may have been turned off by the shock of finding out an african-american has had sex, us gamers really couldn't care less. good for us.

  • oceanclub #14 2 years ago

    I'm hoping he's a playable character in GTA V.

  • jambo74 #15 2 years ago

    Only reason is they have made the game and do not want to spend money on a rebrand / re-code.

  • swills #16 2 years ago

    FWIW and being on-topic (shocking I know), I've been in all the closed betas for this and it's shaping up quite nicely. It's pretty much the full Tiger Woods game in a web browser with lots of web-based career building stuff. It's pretty neat.

  • belziah #17 2 years ago

    @Vertical Stand

    It was a joke you fuckwit. Childish, possibly, but most are!

  • Distributor #18 2 years ago

    Well to be honest. EA hasnt got a golfer to put on the cover of its game, if it isnt tiger.
    He is probably the only internationally known golfer there is. That might be arguable but still. Its either tiger or no golf game at all.